Articles tagged “distribution”

Travelport sees an opportunity to gain share with mid-market travel management companies in the U.S., which seems plausible. But it will need to keep up its pace of adopting new technologies and policies to pull that off.

A new whitepaper examining distribution trends in Europe’s online hotel sector suggests that flexibility is a critical success factor for the region’s hospitality operators. Hotel executives must constantly review and optimize their channel mix if they hope to succeed and thrive in this highly competitive environment.

For pundits looking for a headline that Marriott won reduced commissions from Expedia, the reality is likely far more complex than that, and it might take an audit over the next few years to truly sort out the revenue impact. The new deal has Marriott properties remaining for sale on Expedia brands, as the two companies march off into the sunset maintaining their rough-and-tumble, if symbiotic relationship.

Our latest Skift Research report provides a look-back on 2018 and details our 2019 economic expectations for the U.S. and globally. All in all, we expect a solid year of economic growth in 2019 which should translate well for the travel industry.

The speed at which airline distribution stakeholders are able to transform their distribution technologies so that they can directly impact their bottom line will be determined by their ability to effectively collaborate.

Travel management companies are working to rebuild the complicated systems that actually let them sell and manage travel. Those who decide to stick with their existing technology stack will likely be left behind.

Airline distribution is one thing, but travel management companies need to totally revamp their systems to provide comprehensive tracking and service across all elements of a trip. It's unclear whether these baby steps will turn into a giant leap for the sector.

Over the years, the big global distribution systems have been a major barrier to innovation by airlines and travel startups, in particular. The European Commission now intends to take a serious look at this dynamic.

American Airlines has moved away from its earlier belligerence to navigate a cooperative path with distribution middlemen. The airline appears to be making a lot more gains this time around.

Sabre CEO Sean Menke is right when he says consumers want the ability to comparison shop before they make travel plans. But his ideas about making airline fees more complicated — and lucrative — might not be so popular.